Gwangju's Former Textile Factory Site to Be Reborn as a 'Future-Oriented Cultural Park'

City Unveils Winning Design Proposal: "Coexistence of Past and Future"
"Full-Scale Development to Begin Next Year... Anticipated as a Core Hub for Culture and Arts"

Gwangju City held a briefing session on the winning design proposal for the cultural park being developed on the former Jeonbang and Ilsin Textile sites on the 14th at the citizen hall on the first floor of City Hall. Photo by Gwangju City

On October 14, Gwangju City unveiled the blueprint for a cultural park to be built on the former Jeonbang and Ilsin Textile factory sites, symbols of Korea's modern industrialization. The once-declining urban area is expected to be transformed into a vibrant new landmark.

On this day, Gwangju City held a briefing session for the winning design proposal at the citizen hall on the first floor of City Hall, presenting a vision for a "future-oriented park" that preserves the value of industrial heritage while integrating seamlessly with citizens' daily lives.

More than 100 people attended the briefing session, including those involved in the site development project, local artists, architectural experts, and citizens, to share in the new changes for the factory site. The competition focused on developing a design that would symbolically express the 35,000-square-meter cultural park, which will be linked with the former Jeonbang and Ilsin Textile site complex, by concretizing the preserved buildings and green spaces.

The winning proposal, jointly submitted by JW Landscape, Hapdongwon Architects, and Professor Lee Sanghoon’s team from Chonnam National University, was ultimately selected under the theme "City for All, Park for Always." The design was highly praised for reinterpreting industrial heritage not as mere relics, but as spaces where citizens' daily lives and urban culture and landscape harmoniously converge. The judges also appreciated how the proposal respected the memory of the former factory site, connected naturally with the context of the modern city, and enhanced the potential for use as a lifestyle and cultural space open to all citizens.

Based on the winning design, the city plans to establish a "basic plan for the creation of the cultural park" by the end of this year. From next year, Champions City Complex Development PFV, the site developer, will begin planning and detailed design for Cultural Park 1 and green spaces. In addition, the city will directly oversee the remodeling of existing buildings in Cultural Park 2, proceeding step by step through thorough administrative procedures such as feasibility studies.

Yoo Kisuk, CEO of Champions City Complex Development PFV, stated, "This park will become a new urban hub connecting Gwangju's industrial heritage and local culture," adding, "We will develop it as a core infrastructure for revitalizing the old city center and ensuring sustainable urban development."

Kim Yangsook, Director of the Cultural City Division, said, "The former Jeonbang and Ilsin Textile factory sites are precious spaces that embody the history of modern industrialization," and expressed hope that "this area will be reborn as a cultural park connecting Gwangju's history, culture, and future, becoming a beloved premium park in the heart of the city."

Meanwhile, all five entries, including the winning proposal, can be viewed on the official competition website and will be exhibited in the lobby on the first floor of City Hall until the 20th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.